I'll Be
by Crimson-Pen531
Summary: A little fanfic about the friendship between one sinisterly sarcastic vampire and equally hardheaded woman. Rated T for just for safety!


_Okay, everybody! This is my first attempt at a Hellsing fic, so I hope you guys like it! Read and review if you'd like, of course, but most of all: enjoy! I do not own any part of Hellsing (though I'd rather like to own Alucard) and I also do not own any part of the song "I'll Be". It is the sole property of Reba McEntire._

Just twenty-four hours after Integra Hellsing had impaled herself in the neck to draw out all the infected blood she had received from that bitch who had dared call herself her sister, Alucard waited patiently beside her bed. They had been through the surgery and had removed all that they could without killing her, and now she was sleeping soundly, bandages wrapped tightly around her neck.

He wasn't sure whether he thought her incredibly insane or incredibly brave for what she'd done, but he was fairly certain that it was the latter since he really wasn't one to talk about being insane. However, brave or not it was still the most dangerous thing he had ever seen her do. He'd always known her to be a strong woman and very willful, but he'd never imagined that she'd go so far to keep from becoming like him. What a pain she was!

A few moments into his musings, she stirred her eyes open and reached for her glasses on the bedside table. She spotted him there and furrowed her brow saying firmly but weakly, "Shouldn't you be out slaying freaks with Seras?"

He laughed his usual sinister laugh and replied, "I think Police Girl can handle it for one night without me. Besides, Ferguson is out there with her as well as forty other very well trained officers. They can handle it." He then glanced at her neck, pretending to drool over the blood that soaked the bandages. "So…how are you feeling?"

"Wonderful, of course," she said as she sat up stubbornly. "I always feel so much better after stabbing myself in the throat with a letter opener. How do you think I feel, Alucard? Honestly."

The vampire couldn't help but laugh again. He knew it was rude of him to laugh at a situation like this, but it was just so very like her to be angry and hardheaded after coming out of a life-threatening situation. He was sure that he'd never be able to get enough of that attitude that he so admired in her. What a woman, but what a pain!

When he finally finished his fresh chorus of laughter, Integra sighed deeply and grew serious. Her tone was as soft as he'd ever heard, and it scared him slightly when she spoke so mildly, "Alucard, I want to thank you. Ever since we first met all those years ago you've been my best friend. You've always known when to take orders or dismiss them, step forward or stand back, and that is certainly what you chose yesterday. You stood back and let me do as I willed and then helped me recover. Thank you."

He furrowed his brow, not sure of what to think at first. It was a very rare occasion indeed that she spoke this way, but he couldn't say that he didn't like this side of her, as well. He put his hand on hers and said, "I owe your family a great debt, Integra, you included. You awakened me all those years ago, and I instantly fought for you. I will fight for you…until the end of the Hellsing Organization."

She was silent for several minutes before asking, "Are those the only reasons you fight for me, Alucard?"

He smiled again, this time baring his fangs, and he let out a chuckle before saying, "You know better than that, Sir Integra Wingates Hellsing."

_When darkness falls upon your heart and soul  
I'll be the light that shines for you  
When you forget how beautiful you are  
I'll be there to remind you  
When you can't find your way  
I'll find my way to you  
When troubles come around  
I will come to you_

A couple of nights later as Integra sat at her desk, she looked up at the full moon in the window behind her and thought of a certain vampire with whom she was the best of friends. She still wasn't sure what she would have done all these years had Alucard not been there to protect her. In fact, she would have died many, many years ago had he not been there. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that her uncle would have killed her that day if she had not found him there in that cell.

It was true that he was very hard to get along with most of the time. He was arrogant, sarcastic, and downright cruel most of the time. He could be kind, but only on occasion, and it was because of his constant berating her that she had become so hardened to his comments. Perhaps that was another reason why she loved him so much. He had desensitized her, made her less vulnerable in her work, and for that she could be eternally grateful.

Meanwhile, Alucard was positive that Integra wasn't aware of his presence in her office. He had been watching her for the better part of a few hours, and hadn't really noticed any change in her. He had been watching just in case all the blood she had lost decided to take effect and make her weak. That would be his cue to step in and rescue her. Of course, she wouldn't have allowed him to watch over her had she known he was there, which was why he had to stay in the shadows.

He may have been mean to her most of the time he'd known her, but there were reasons for that, and it had paid off in all the ways he'd hoped it would. She had grown into a very strong and intelligent woman, and he was quite proud of that. He knew that he would take care of her until the day she died, even through the old age and sickness that was sure to come to her. Of course, he would have preferred to make her one of them so that she could remain with him forever. She would never hear of it, however, so he remained content…or tried to.

_I'll be your shoulder  
When you need someone to lean on  
Be your shelter  
When you need someone to see you through  
I'll be there to carry you  
I'll be there  
I'll be the rock that will be strong for you  
The one that will hold on to you  
When you feel that rain falling down  
When there's no body else around  
I'll be_

After a particularly trying battle with the priest Anderson from the Iscariot Organization, Alucard wandered back down to his cell to rest. He may have been immortal and one of the strongest of his kind, but it didn't lessen the pain any when he was hit with those damn silver knives. And this time he had sure taken a beating.

The priest had been in particularly good form that evening, piercing him in dozens of places with those same knives, so he was going to need at least twelve hours of healing before going back out again. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to get any peace as he heard a loud knock at the door.

"Enter!" he called angrily, but he immediately regretted that anger when Integra entered the cell. He hid his regret, however, as he said, "What do you want?"

She eyed him up and down and smirked. "Let him best you, hmm?"

"I did no such thing!" he shouted. "The priest was defeated, of that you can be sure! I just happened to take some hits along the way!"

Integra sat down beside him and looked at all the new wounds. She stared intently at the blood and wondered (not for the first time) what it would be like to taste that blood, just to become one of them…one of his own. She had wondered what Alucard's blood tasted like, and she knew just how easy it would be to drink that sweet blood and become his fledgling. _His_ fledgling.

"Would you like some help with these?" she asked, just a hint of worry in her voice.

He sighed deeply and replied, "No…thank you. They will heal on their own in time." He then turned to her and added, "Don't you have an organization to run?"

With a laugh she stood and said, "Indeed you're right. And don't you dare forget that you're a part of that organization. I expect you to be fully recovered by tomorrow night." She then grew serious again and added gently, "But just in case you aren't…you know that you can come to me."

He nodded and turned away to keep from staring into those mesmerizing ice blue eyes. He would not let her see his vulnerability, especially not toward her. Alucard would not be vulnerable to anything or anyone…let alone a human!

_And when you're there with no one there to hold  
I'll be the arms that reach for you  
And when you feel your faith is running low  
I'll be there to believe in you  
When all you find are lies  
I'll be the truth you need  
When you need someone to run to  
You can run to me  
_

Several years later, the same relationship still persisted. The two best friends in the entire world were perhaps the two people meanest to each other in the world. They would be there for each other if the need arose, but it was always with sarcasm and a hint of sardonic disdain. However, as the years passed, Integra found herself wanting of more. So with all the bravery she could muster, knowing that she was throwing away her entire belief system for this, she marched bravely down to Alucard's cell.

She found him sitting in the same chair with his feet propped up on the same table, a smile on his face that indicated that he had been waiting for her. "You wanted to see me, Miss Hellsing?"

"I see you've read my mind once again," she said. "Well, what is your answer?"

He laughed heartily and replied, "Not so fast. You have to ask it aloud first. You aren't going to get off that easily. So, Miss Hellsing, if it is truly what you wish, you will have to ask me outright. I could read it from your mind as many times as I want, but it is of no use unless you physically say it."

She stared at him for several moments, wondering what she should do. He already knew what she wanted to say, but this still gave her the chance to back out. No! No, she couldn't back down now! She wouldn't let herself! She walked forward and stood directly in front of him as she said, "Alucard, will you make me into a vampire? Will you make me your fledgling?"

He smiled evilly and stood to face her, staring down at her with hunger. "I've often wondered how your blood would taste, Miss Hellsing," he said as he put one arm around her waist and rested the other hand at the back of her neck.

Alucard then pulled her closer and leaned her back as he pressed his lips to her neck. Finally, he bit into her soft skin and drank up to the familiar point, at which time he fed her his own blood, knowing that she didn't deserve to be a servant vampire. She would be the greatest of their kind from this point on…a servant to no man or vampire.

Integra rested in his capable arms, letting him feast on her blood, and when he fed her his own, a feeling of power surged within her, a power the likes of which she had never felt before. She suddenly felt so strong and willing. She wanted blood, more blood…his blood. The transformation was complete, and she was a vampire…his vampire.

She stood on her own several minutes later, her deep blue eyes having turned a deep red, and her physique already stronger. She glanced at her best friend and new blood father. "Thank you, Alucard," she said strongly. "Thank you."

He put a hand to her cheek and whispered quietly, "I'll be…Integra."

_I'll be your shoulder  
When you need someone to lean on  
Be your shelter  
When you need someone to see you through  
I'll be there to carry you  
I'll be there  
I'll be the rock that will be strong for you  
The one that will hold on to you  
When you feel that rain falling down  
When there's no body else around  
I'll be  
_


End file.
